At the end of February there were 289 satellite-tracked drifting buoys, of which 80% had subsurface drogues intact, in operation for the WOCE/CLIVAR Surface Velocity Program in the tropical Pacific Ocean. The SEC is strong in the central and western Pacific, but is sluggish in the eastern part of the basin. There is almost no evidence of an NECC and the NEC is strong only in the western part of the basin (east of 110W). Equatorial SST anomalies at the end of the month are generally warm (< 1 C) west of 170E and cool (1 C) elsewhere, except for warm anomalies in the immediate vicinity of the Galapagos Islands (90W).

FIGURE A1.1 - Movements of drifting buoys in the tropical Pacific Ocean during February 1996. The linear segments of the trajectories represent a two week displacement. Red (solid) paths show buoys drogued to 15-m depth; blue (dotted) paths show undrogued buoys.